Airship



Sept. 13, 1927.

T. B. sLATE AIRSHIP Filed July 23, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Snoentoz W10/755,5. 52 H75 PATENT OFFICE.

THOHAS SLATE, OF GLIENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

IBSHIP.

Applieationmed July 28, 1925. Serial No. 45,649.

sures due to a high velocity throu h the air and due to storm conditions in ba weather. It is also my object-to provide in this type of propulsion a novel and etlicient means of applying the power directly to the displace 0 ment of air completely over the forward end of the ship and replacing it from the point of largest diameter of the ship back to the tip or tail Vend of the ship withoutproducing a vacuum at the rear of the ship.

It is also an object of my invention to `provide a ship with a novel combination of structure and means of ropulsion that will eiliciently propel throug thev air a ship of greater diameter compared to length than has heretofore been practicable and to increase the factor of safety in storm conditions through wrenching cross currents of air and which will also provide a heavy covering of air flowing completely around the ship and longitudinally with the ship to protect it from cross currents of storm conditions. It is also my object to provide a greater internal volume with a lesser external surface, thereby gaining a greater factor of gross lift over gro ,weight of the ship, resulting in greater pay load capacity.` 5 f Figure l is a diagrammatic view of my invention, partly in section, with the direct'on of air currents indicated b arrows;

Fig. 2 is a front end view o? the ship; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the compensan tion Abag 8 Fi .14 is a detail sectional view through the orward end f the air ship with the 'propeller and motor shown in side elevation.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in each of the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, .I provide an airship shell or covering 1 of a suitable light metal approximately of the shape shown in Fig. 1 and havinga pas-- senger and freight compartment 2 extending longitudinally of the shell; and a power plant compartment3 positioned at the forward end ofthe ship.

An important feature of my invention is the provision at the forward end of the ship of a radial blower typegfan 13 taking a1r at its forward axis-and'delivering it from' its periphery in a solid radial sheet at right angles to its axis. The rear ends of the fan blades are in alinement with the adjacent surface of the shell 1 of the airship so that the rear surface of the radial flow ofl air will come in contact with the surface of the ship at C. i

I `provide a suitable engine 20 mounted in the engine compartment 15. Engine 20 is provided with a pipe 16 passing through the gas compartment of the ship and terminating at the rear of passenger and freight compartment 2 of the ship. I provide an exhaust pipe 18 for exhausting directly to the atmosphere and also provide a suitable valve 17 for directing the exhaust to either pipe 18 or pipe 16.

p he engines are geared directly to one main fan shaft on which is mounted a centrifugal blower type fan operated at high velocity and adapted to take agreat volume of air 4in at its forward open end and dis# charge it in a solid radial sheet at the periph'- ery of the fan. The fan lis adjusted longitudinally of the ship so that the rear surface of the current of air from the fan comes in contact with the' surface of the. nose of the ship at its extreme forward end, as indicated over the area inside the point of contact designated C. The tendency of a great volume of air discharged from the fan at high speed is to cause a less than atmospheric pressure between the'surface of the ship andthe air flow, causing the ship to move toward the radial air stream at a speed overned by the yelocity given to the radial a1r stream by the the ship that does not flow through the fan will be entrained into the stream of air flowing from the fan at high velocity and will follow the contour of the ship without buildinglup pressure on the nose of the ship, and w pass the volume of air for the ships displacementp'ast its largest diameter at high `s The first result is to effect a. complete dlsplacement of the airv pressure from in front of the.. airship allowing the ship. to

The remaining volume of air in front of move forward at a speed proportionate to the amount of power applied. rIhe second result is that the great volume of air thrown around the nose of the ship and past its largest diameter at high speed, then loses its velocity and begins to replace immediately behind the largest diameter of the ship the space occupied by that portion of the ship, thus allowing the ship to travel on without producing a partial vacuum behind the ship. 'llhis result relieves the power plant' of the burden of pulling a volume of air behind the ship for replacement.

With this system of propulsion the fan does not function in the manner of the usual propeller and does not pull on the ship directly by its shaft, and power is not concentrated at one point on the ship but the propelling means or 'force is applied completely over the exterior surface of the ships hull from one end to the other. Consequently, pressure on the shipis hull is relieved and cross currents of air which otherwiselwould tend to wrench the ship in storm conditions would not be able to strike the ship until after they have first come in contact with the flowing stream of air discharged by the fan and which follows the contour .of the ship longitudinally and has a cushioning effect on cross air currents. More eiicient control of the ship by the rudders is possible because of v replacing the even flow of air following theship to its rear end as indicated by arrows in Fig. l. Complete replacement of the air-following the passage of the ship tends to hold the rear end of the ship steady and will not allow it to swing around from one side to the other of the area displaced the ship. If a ship is 'forced through the air by the ordinary means and has to draw its displacement from the surrounding atmosphere it will bring it from the course of least resistance and if the `atmosphere is at all disturbed bv wind or storm conditions this course of least resistance is liable to be from any direction,

vcausing cross currents over the rear of the ship where the rudders are located.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with an airship, a radial blower fan for propellin the ship, said fan being mounted on the orward end of the shipvand displacing air from in frontlof and at right angles to the axis of the airship and air beginning immediately at the rear of the largest diameter of the hull of the ship and continuin `to the extreme rear end of the ship, where y-to propel the ship with the least possible dlsturbance of the atmosphere surroundin and slightly distant from the hull pf the s ip.` l

2. In combination with an airship, a radial blower fan for propelling the ship, said fan being positioned at the central portion of the forward end and displacing air from in front of and at right angles to the axis of the airship and.replacing air beginnin immediately at the rear of the largest diameter of the hull of the ship and contlnuing to the extreme rear end of the shi 3. In an airship of tIlJie lighter than air type, a blower fan positioned at the center of the nose of the ship .and having the rear edges of its yblades aligned with the surface of the nose of the ship to produce a stream of air flowing radially from the fan and at right angles to the axis of the airship and following the contour of the ship to displace air from in front of the nose of the ship and to function as an air cushion to protect the ship from wrenching cross-currents of air under storm or similar conditionsn 4. In combination with an airship, a radial blower fan mounted on the nose of the airship and having its axis longitudinal with the airship, the rear edges of the blades of the fan ybeing approximately aligned with the adjacent surface of the nose of the airship and at right angles to the axis of the airship and adapted to dis lace air from in front of the airship creating a high-s eed current of air flowlng over the nose o the ship with sufficient force yto entrain airdirectly in front of the ship and to Carr it around the largest diameter of the s ip, whereby to create a less than atmos heric pressure in front of the ship and a slightly greater than atmospheric Arassure on the rear tapering portion of t e ship to propel it.

5. In combination with an aerial craft, a radial blower` having its axis of rotation longitudinal with the body of the craft, and having bot-h ends of the blower open and having an air space adjacent the inner blades, the rear edges of the blades of the blower being substantially aligned with the nose of the craft to create a vacuum between the craft and the air stream leaving the blades of the blower to cause. the air stream to follow the contour of the craft, displacing air from in front thereof and replacing air at a point beginning rearward of the largest diameter of the craft and continuing to the rear thereof to propel the shi and to increase the control exerted by t e rudder.

- 6. In combination with an airship, a centrifugal blower mounted on the nose of the airship and delivering a radial volume of air over the nose of the airship in a direction at right angles tothe axis of the'ship and leading away from the contour of the nose of the ship to cause a artial vacuum between the irship and the air stream delivered from' the 7. In combination with an airship, arauial blower fan mounted on the forward end of the ship, said fan having an air space adjacent the inner nose of the blades and disto the axis of the airship, the f an eing open 130.

anuninterrupted ilow of air through theforward end of the fan and for substantially the entire length of the blades permitting a full supply of air at the rear end of the .blades whereby/to canse an uninterrupted ow oi air at right angles to the axis of the blower and produce a suction of less than atmospheric pressure directly adjacent the forward end of the ship and extending to its largest diameter. A

8. In combination with an airship having its contour gradually and continuously curved out :from the nose until the lar est diameter of the airship is reached and 't 'en having the contour of the ship gradually tapering rearward in nearly a straight line a radial blower mounted on the nose of the ship and disch ng an air stream from the periphery of the lower in a direction nearly parallel with but slightly away from the contour of the ship from the nose of the airship to its largest diameter and thereafter being dissi ated into the s urroundin atmosphere, suc expansionv being equa to or greater than the tapering contour of the rear end of tlie ship to cause a partial vacuum to surround the forward end of the airship continuousl from the periphery of the blower to t e int of the largest diameter of the ship an adapted to produce a pressure approximately at or greater than atmospheric ressure continuously from the plane of the ar est diameter of'the airship to its rear end or the pur oses described.

THOMA vBENTON SLATE. 

